Majus parabo, majus infundam tibi Priusque cœlum sidet inferius mari, Tellure porrecta super, Quam non amore sic meo flagres, uti 80 Sub hæc puer, jam non, ut ante, mollibus Sed dubius, unde rumperet silentium, Misit Thyesteas preces: "Venena magnum fas nefasque non valent Convertere humanam vicem. Diris agam vos: dira detestatio Nulla expiatur victima. Quin, ubi perire jussus expiravero, Petamque vultus umbra curvis unguibus, 81. flagres uti, etc. Virg. Ecl. viii. 81. 83. 85. dubius unde, how to break silence. i. e. beginning abruptly, or confusedly, and with multiplied execrations. 86. Thyesteas, such as Thyestes might have uttered.' Cp. Cic. Tusc. i. 44. Exsecratur luculentis sane versibus apud Ennium Thyestes, sqq. See Carm. I. xvi. 17. lowing Orelli in the main points) to reverse the order and take venena for the nom. c.? Thus-Sorceries (and those who use them) cannot change (i. e. turn aside or defeat) the Divine laws as they can men and men's law. Therefore I appeal to them; such an appeal will draw down a wrath implacable.' humanam vicem, in human fashion-after the manner of men.' 87. venena magnum, &c. The Cp. tuam vicem doleo (Cic. Fam. great law of Divine justice cannot xii. 23.). I grieve as if I were in influence sorceries (i. e. sorcerers) as your place ;' Sardanapali vicem mori, they can men. Therefore I will Cic. Att. x. 8., like S.;' Res faentreat no more, but execrate. Imiliaris obsidis vicem esse apud will not appeal to you as if you rempublicam videbatur, Gell. xvi, had natural feeling, and could be softened.' So Orelli. But, in this construction, would not valet be more Horatian than valent? Will it not be better (while fol 10. 90. Cp. Carm. I. xxviii. 34. Omnibus umbra locis adero. Pavore somnos auferam. Vos turba vicatim hinc et hinc saxis petens Contundet obscenas anus. Post insepulta membra different lupi Et Esquilinæ alites Neque hoc parentes, heu mihi superstites, Effugerit spectaculum." 100 CARMEN VI. QUID immerentes hospites vexas, canis, Ignavus adversum lupos ? Quin huc inanes, si potes, vertis minas, Et me remorsurum petis? Nam, qualis aut Molossus, aut fulvus Lacon, Amica vis pastoribus, Agam per altas aure sublata nives, Quæcunque præcedet fera. Tu, quum timenda voce complesti nemus, 99. different, shall tear apart.' 100. Esquilinæ alites. i. e. carrion birds of prey. There was a "miseræ plebi commune sepulcrum" (Sat. 1. viii. 10.) on the Esquiline, whence it is called atras Esquilias," Sat. II. vi. 33. (See the description in Cookesley's Map of Rome, and Index, p. 84.) EPODE 6. An invective, directed, according to an old inscription, In Cassium Severum (of whom see Tacit. Ann. iv. 21.); but this is by no means certain. Some contend that Mævius is meant (Cp. Epod. x.), or his fellow-poet Bavius (of whom see 10 Cave, cave: namque in malos asperrimus Qualis Lycambæ spretus infido gener, An, si quis atro dente me petiverit, 15 CARMEN VII. AD POPULUM ROMANUM. Quo, quo scelesti ruitis? aut cur dexteris Parumne campis atque Neptuno super Non ut superbas invidæ Carthaginis Intactus aut Britannus ut descenderet Sacra catenatus Via: Sed ut, secundum vota Parthorum, sua Neque hic lupis mos, nec fuit leonibus, 13. gener, Archilochus-of whom see Theocr. Epig. 19. 14. hostis, Hipponax, 8 μovooTоlós, Theocr. Ep. 21. EPODE VII. This, and the 16th epode, appealing against the madness and misery of civil war, were probably written on the occasion of the first discords between Antony and Octavianus and the war of Perusia, in 41 B. C. 3. Carm. 11. i. 33. 5. invidæ. Orelli cp. Sall. Cat. 10. Carthago æmula imperi Romani. 5 10 Furorne cæcus, an rapit vis acrior? Scelusque fraternæ necis, Ut immerentis fluxit in terram Remi 15 Sacer nepotibus cruor. 20 CARMEN VIII. IN ANUM LIBIDINOSAM. ROGARE longo putidam te seculo, Vires quid enervet meas? Quum sit tibi dens ater, et rugis vetus Frontem senectus exaret; Hietque turpis inter aridas nates Podex, velut crudæ bovis. Sed incitat me pectus, et mammæ putres, Equina quales ubera; Venterque mollis, et femur tumentibus Exile suris additum. Esto beata, funus atque imagines Ducant triumphales tuum; Nec sit marita, quæ rotundioribus Onusta baccis ambulet. Quid? quod libelli Stoici inter sericos οὐδ ̓ ἀπαλλάσσει γενεὰν γένος. See the chorus, Soph. Antig. 585598. So sacer (ver. 20.) is évayýs, i i. e. entailing a curse and requiring expiation. 19. ut, as in Carm. IV. iv. 42. Illiterati num minus nervi rigent? Minusve languet fascinum? Quod ut superbo provoces ab inguine, 20 CARMEN IX. AD MECENATEM. QUANDO repostum Cæcubum ad festas dapes, Tecum sub alta, sic Jovi gratum, domo, Beate Mæcenas, bibam, Sonante mixtum tibiis carmen lyra, Hac Dorium, illis barbarum? Ut nuper, actus quum freto Neptunius EPODE IX. A triumphant celebration of the victory of Actium. 5. tibiis... lyrâ. (See above on Carm. IV. xv. 30.) The lyre and flutes were commonly used in mutual accompaniment. They are mentioned together in Hom. Il. σ. 495.; Theocr. Epigr. 5.; Pindar, Ol. iii. 8., xi. 93. There is in the British Museum a set of tibiæ with a lyre, which were found together in a tomb at Athens. Pairs of tibiæ were more frequently used than the single instrument. They were distinct, not united in one, but the mouth-pieces were sometimes passed through a band (capistrum). Herodotus (i. 17.), in speaking of the martial music of 5 10 the Lydians, makes mention of συρίγγων, πηκτίδων, and αὐλοῦ γυναικηΐου καὶ ἀνδρηΐου, i. e. (probably) tibiæ sinistræ et dextræ, our "treble" and "tenor." The two tibiæ may have resembled our "hautboy" and "bassoon." (The first is the natural treble of the latter.) (See Cooley's ed. of Larcher's notes on Herod. l. c.) 6. Dorium... Barbarum. The ancient music had three principal modes (i. e. scales of different pitch): the Dorian, Phrygian, and Lydian. Each was one tone higher than the other. The Dorian was the lowest. The Phrygian (here called barbarum) the next. 7. See Merivale, Hist, Rome, vol. iii. ch. 27. (p. 246.). |